The National School of Midwifery, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, sworn-in 55 newly qualified midwifes on 18 February 2012. The mid-wifes were awarded certificates after completing their training for 18 months in midwifery. The certificates were awarded by Mrs Annerieke Owen-Huisman, wife of the US Ambassador to Sierra Leone.

The midwifes will be assigned to public health facilities across the coun-try to contribute to reduction in the “unacceptably high” maternal and child mortality. Dr Juan Shepherd, Principal of the School emphasized that midwifes are vital force in attaining MDGs 4 & 5. Sierra Leone is one of nine countries in critical need of midwifes. The country has shown marked improvement in service delivery for mothers and chil-dren following the introduction of the Free Health Care Initiative in 2010 for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under 5 years old. However, it is still ranked as one of the countries with the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world.

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